What to look out for in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 European Pre-Qualifiers Second Round

MUNICH (Germany) - The FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 European Pre-Qualifiers Second Round gets underway this weekend in the next phase of the journey towards Philippines, Japan and Indonesia.

The four teams that came through the First Round are joined by eight teams from the FIBA EuroBasket 2022 Qualifiers to make up four groups of three. The top two teams in each group will advance to the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Qualifiers.

Group C

		GAMES				GAME POINTS					POINTS
#	Team	P	W	L	%	For	Agt	+/-	FA	AA
1	Sweden	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	Portugal	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Luxembourg	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Schedule:
August, 12 - Sweden v Portugal - 18:00 GMT+1
August, 13 - Portugal v Luxembourg - 18:00 GMT+1
August, 14 - Luxembourg v Sweden - 18:00 GMT+1
August, 16 - Portugal v Sweden - 18:00 GMT+1
August, 17 - Luxembourg v Portugal - 18:00 GMT+1
August, 18 - Sweden v Luxembourg - 18:00 GMT+1

Matosinhos lowdown: Sweden are the highest ranked team of the three in this group - four places ahead of 58th ranked Portugal, who claimed five wins from six in the First Round in a strong showing. The Swedes enjoyed an impressive win over Turkey in Stockholm in February, 2020, but missed out on a place at FIBA EuroBasket 2022 and will have to avoid complacency in Matosinhos. Luxembourg round out the trio having stepped in following the withdrawal of Austria and will be looking to force their way into the top two as they open their campaign next Friday. 

Star players: Christopher Czerapowicz was the leading scorer for Sweden last time out with 14.3 points per game and is part of his side's initial 17-player roster with the aim of sweeping into the next phase with minimal fuss. Meanwhile, Luxembourg's Clancy Rugg was one of the standout performers from the First Round of the European Pre-Qualifiers with 21.5 points and 12.2 rebounds per game with 32-year-old Sasa Borovnjak an experienced presence inside for Portugal, who also had a solid opening phase of the Pre-Qualifiers.

Group D

		GAMES				GAME POINTS					POINTS
#	Team	P	W	L	%	For	Agt	+/-	FA	AA
1	Romania	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	Latvia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Belarus	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Schedule:
August, 7 - Romania v Latvia - 19:30 GMT+3
August, 8 - Latvia v Belarus - 19:30 GMT+3
August, 9 - Belarus v Romania - 19:30 GMT+3
August, 11 - Latvia v Romania - 19:30 GMT+3
August, 12 - Belarus v Latvia - 19:30 GMT+3
August, 13 - Romania v Belarus - 19:30 GMT+3

Riga lowdown: The action gets underway in Riga earlier than everywhere else with all the focus on Group D for the first few days. Latvia will be strong favorites in a group that also includes Belarus and Romania having assembled a strong squad as hosts with a number of key returning figures. The battles between Belarus and Romania could well prove decisive in determining a spot in the next round with the two teams meeting for a second time in the last game of the group.

Star player: Davis Bertans makes a return to national team colors with Latvia after a four-year absence, with the Washington Wizards sharpshooter back alongside older brother, Dairis Bertans and veteran guard Janis Strelnieks to re-form an experienced spine. 

Group E

		GAMES				GAME POINTS					POINTS
#	Team	P	W	L	%	For	Agt	+/-	FA	AA
1	Montenegro	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	Iceland	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Denmark	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Schedule:
August, 12 - Montenegro v Iceland - 20:00 GMT+2
August, 13 - Iceland v Denmark - 20:00 GMT+2
August, 14 - Denmark v Montenegro - 20:00 GMT+2
August, 16 - Iceland v Montenegro - 20:00 GMT+2
August, 17 - Denmark v Iceland - 20:00 GMT+2
August, 18 - Montenegro v Denmark - 20:00 GMT+2

Podgorica lowdown: This has the makings of being a really exciting group. Montenegro are the highest ranked team of all 12 participating nations in the Second Round at 26th in the world, but can expect tough challenges on home soil from Denmark and Iceland. A costly defeat at the hands of Great Britain ended their FIBA EuroBasket hopes, while Denmark will not need reminding of how close they came to eliminating Lithuania and securing a place at next year's major tournament. Iceland impressed in the First Round as they topped their group with five wins from six and will look to make their mark in the next phase. 

Star player: Tryggvi Hlinason is a towering presence for Iceland and posted 18.8 points and 11.3 rebounds per game as part of their aforementioned First Round success. The center stands at 215cm tall and has a huge impact at both ends of the floor for his side. 

Group F

		GAMES				GAME POINTS					POINTS
#	Team	P	W	L	%	For	Agt	+/-	FA	AA
1	North Macedonia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	Switzerland	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Slovakia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Schedule:
August, 12 - North Macedonia v Switzerland - 19:00 GMT+2
August, 13 - Switzerland v Slovakia - 19:00 GMT+2
August, 14 - Slovakia v North Macedonia - 19:00 GMT+2
August, 16 - Switzerland v North Macedonia - 19:00 GMT+2
August, 17 - Slovakia v Switzerland - 19:00 GMT+2
August, 18 - North Macedonia v Slovakia - 19:00 GMT+2

Skopje lowdown: Another exciting group - and the closest on paper in regards to rankings - with just 11 spots separating the three sides. North Macedonia will be considered favorites on home soil in Skopje, though Switzerland and Slovakia will both fancy their chances of progressing. Switzerland pulled off a stunning win against Serbia in the FIBA EuroBasket 2022 Qualifiers, but it would prove their only win upon exiting with North Macedonia closing their campaign with wins over Italy and Estonia. Meanwhile, Slovakia did what they needed to do in the First Round and will hope the consistency in their roster can help them hit the ground running.

Star players: Jacob Wiley is set to suit up again for North Macedonia having impressed upon making his national team debut as well as helping Casedemont Zaragoza - alongside Hlinason - claim third place in last season's Basketball Champions League. Switzerland are set to lean on the experience of Jonathan Kazadi after he led the team in points, rebounds and assists during the recent Qualifiers, while Vladimir Brodziansky fired in 23.3 points per game in the First Round for Slovakia.

FIBA